


loving you (feels like i'm dreaming)

by noeuls



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Basketball Player Mark Lee (NCT), Fluff, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Plot Twists, the rest just have minor appearances
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:34:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24125956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noeuls/pseuds/noeuls
Summary: Mark thinks loving Donghyuck feels like a dream.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan & Mark Lee, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee, Mentioned Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Comments: 2
Kudos: 40





	loving you (feels like i'm dreaming)

**Author's Note:**

> this idea just popped into my head when i was listening to day dream on repeat, so i wrote this in 4 hours with my online class as background noise... (*꒦ິ꒳꒦ີ) it might.. be a bit confusing? this is my (failed?) attempt at being cryptic and mysterious. unbeta-ed so forgive me (⇀‸↼‶) i hope you enjoy this anyway! <3  
> \+ title from nct 127's day dream („• ֊ •„)  
> ++ i took the lyric very literally, hehe.

Loving Donghyuck, Mark thinks, feels like a dream. Putting aside the younger’s dreamy features — warm hazel eyes, a gorgeous caramel tan, and naturally pouty tiers, to name a few — his entire existence was ethereal, in Mark’s own eyes. He absolutely adores the younger, constantly pushing aside his usual aloofness to indulge in uncharacteristic affection with him. He reaches down to lace their fingers together, he slips his hand into the other’s back pocket, he curls an arm around his waist to tug him nearer, he runs a fond hand through his hair. Mark constantly has his hands on Donghyuck, always wanting him close, wanting him by his side.

But Mark can only get the full Donghyuck experience at night, when the moon is out and he has the sun in his arms. He does get the boy in small pockets throughout the day, but he enjoys the nights most; that’s when he gets to properly press his lips against each inch of caramel skin, that’s when he gets to properly spill fond words and laughter while curled up against the younger, when he gets to make the other scream and cry and fist at the sheets till he’s slumped over.

Well, what can Mark do? He loves Donghyuck.

—

“Hyuck!” Mark beams as he turns to see a purple-haired boy slips through the back door. Professor Moon is about half an hour into the lecture, but that’s never stopped Donghyuck from sneaking into the lecture theatre with mussed hair and a single pencil, just to settle down beside Mark. The younger mirrors his expression, pressing a small kiss where the fluorescent lights bounce off Mark’s high cheekbones, and the older flushes slightly despite the familiarity of the action.

“Slept well, Markles?” Mark scowls at the nickname but shrugs nonetheless, returning a chaste peck to Donghyuck’s temple before picking his black pen back up and noting down the chain of terms Professor Moon had just spewed, though his free arm stretches to wrap around Donghyuck’s little waist and bring him closer. Donghyuck hums and reaches over with his mechanical pencil to doodle random shapes and hearts into the margin of Mark’s lined paper, and it’s taking Mark all of his mental willpower to not just kiss Donghyuck senseless right there in the back row of LT53.

An hour passes, and Mark finds his eyelids getting heavier; the pouring rain outside was leaving him feeling extra cozy in his large grey hoodie, not to mention Donghyuck’s head on his shoulder. “You can sleep, you know,” Donghyuck has the decency to whisper and Mark mumbles a barely coherent “but” before he finds himself dropping his head onto folded arms, eyes fluttering shut as he drifts off into a nap with soft humming from beside him, the last thing he feels before he really dozes off being lips against his temple.

“Mark? Mark! Wake up, lecture’s over.” Mark feels someone poking his arm so he raises his head, but not before turning to the side to see that Donghyuck, as usual, is already gone with no trace. “Hyuck’s gone already...” He mumbles, slight disappointment lacing his tone, but he looks up at his friends anyway to be met with Jeno’s arched brow. “There he goes again with his Hyuck,” Jaemin and Jeno snicker, eerily identical, and Mark protests with a “He was doodling on my notes!”. Jeno cocks his head, eyes landing where Mark’s fingertip points, and only gives a pensive hum before shrugging. Mark rolls his eyes but doesn’t question his response, instead moving to shove his notebook and pens (and mechanical pencil... He doesn’t remember using it though.). 

“Lunch?” Jaemin beams, looking between the two. At their nods, he cheers and hooks his arm in Jeno’s, and the two immediately turn to head out the back doors, making a beeline for the cafeteria a block away. "He was doodling in his sleep, right?" Jaemin asks Jeno, hesitant, but the latter shrugs.

Mark hangs back, hesitating when he’s halfway out the door and turning back to look where he and Donghyuck were sitting together before. “See you soon, Hyuck,” he whispers to no one in particular, before jogging to catch up with the chatting pair. If Jeno notices the pitiful look Jaemin sends Mark, he didn’t mention it.

Mark thinks Donghyuck must’ve left when he fell asleep.

—

It’s a Friday afternoon, so Mark has basketball practice. He can’t join the team though, because he pulled a muscle in a game last week. Nevertheless, he turns up at the gym during practice in his striped tee and blue jeans, graciously accepting bro-hugs and high-fives from his jersey-clad teammates. With a soft chuckle and toothy grin, he heads up the bleachers and whips out his laptop, perching it on his lap as he sinks down between two rows of bleachers with intentions to get started on a newly assigned essay.

After not more than fifteen minutes of slow typing accompanied by EXO blasting in his earphones, a figure plops down beside him and it’s not just his peripheral vision that alerts him of so. Donghyuck takes one side of Mark’s earphones and puts them in his ear, before turning to smack a loud kiss onto the other’s cheek; from where they are, on the scratchy concrete between two rows of grey seats at the opposite end of the gym from the team, no one can hear them. Mark grins when he looks up to see the team immersed in a practice game, so he turns immediately, letting his lips meet Donghyuck’s. There’s no fluster or awkwardness, just Mark gently setting his laptop on the ground beside him (thank the heavens for Autosave) and turning his body to face Donghyuck’s. The younger is visibly pleased at this standard Mark reaction, and even more so when Mark reaches a hand out to squeeze gently at the younger’s waist. He tongues at the seam of Donghyuck’s tiers, licking in eagerly when they part to reveal Donghyuck’s mirrored excitement. Mark thumbs at the silver of tan skin between the hem of a white tee and the waistband of black jeans, and he feels the boy shiver slightly at the touch, along with fingers carding into his black hair.

The boys pull away after minutes, chests heaving quickly, and Mark watches with bated breath as the younger runs a hand through his purple strands. “You’re such a dream,” Mark whispers, a giddy smile on his face as he shuts his laptop and leans back. “I’m just gonna nap until their practice ends, wake me up before you go?” Mark extends a hand to squeeze Donghyuck’s, then lacing their fingers as Donghyuck nods as usual, shifting so Mark can rest his head on the younger’s shoulder. “Sleep well, Mark,” is the last thing the boy hears before he drifts off into a quick nap.

“Mark! We’re going for dinner,” Mark hears as he’s nudged awake. His shoulder is awfully light and he turns to see an expanse of dark grey concrete. “You were sleeping here alone so we decided that we’ll treat you, our star point guard,” Yukhei continues, bending to ruffle his hair playfully. Mark swats at Yukhei’s hand and groans, though there’s no bite in his actions and he stands up with his laptop now in his bag. He can hear Jisung and Jaehyun cheering from the gym floor and it makes him feel warm inside, that his teammates are this excited to be treating him to dinner.

The team walks out of the gym doors, all close to each other since they’ve freshened up, and Mark turns back to throw his previously occupied spot at the bleachers one more gaze, before their coach has to lock up. “Why don’t you bring a friend with you, Mark?” The boy in question turns at Sicheng’s question, replying with a “Hm?”, and Sicheng nods in the direction of the now locked gym. “For practice, now while you can’t... well, practice.” The sentence earns a few harmless sniggers from the older players, but Sicheng waits for Mark’s answer with a smile. 

“Well, I’m not really alone. I...” Mark starts, but his voice trails off when he thinks back to an hour prior. ‘They must’ve not noticed him,’ he thinks, and shrugs. “I have my work.” This pulls barks of laughter from the entire team, even their coach, who claps a hand on Mark’s back and shakes his head. “Ever the hard worker, Mark Lee. Now go eat well and stuff yourselves, boys. See you all on Tuesday!” Goodbyes are exchanged between him and the players, and they stalk off campus with growling stomachs and excited chatter. Johnny has an arm around Mark’s shoulder, rattling on about this “really cute boy, I think you share a lecture with him!”, but the only cute boy on Mark’s mind is Donghyuck.

Mark thinks Donghyuck must’ve left when he fell asleep.

(Dinner was a blast, but now Mark can’t wait to spend the weekend sleeping in with Donghyuck.)

—

The night is entering its wee hours, and Mark’s been neglecting his essay for a good two hours now. Donghyuck had slipped in through his bedroom window at around 11.30pm, and they haven’t managed to get their hands off each other since then. Time flew with just lips against lips and lips against skin, and Mark feels marks blossom under each work of Donghyuck’s teeth over his pale skin. His hands take purchase on the younger’s bottom, fondling and squeezing his pert cheeks properly as the younger rises back up to slot their lips back together. “So pretty, and all mine,” Mark murmurs, entranced as he pulls away to trail kisses down the caramel-hued expanse, hands sliding forward to palm over the other’s slender thighs. He pulls Donghyuck into his lap, and their lips are back on each other’s, hands dropping south and into boxers.

Donghyuck slumps over Mark when he’s finished and spent, and Mark is still panting from his own unravelling. They rearrange themselves so Donghyuck’s curled up against Mark, head tucked in the crook of his neck as his arm splays across the older. Mark’s arm is around Donghyuck, fingers drumming idly at the curve of Donghyuck’s waist. They should really get up to change out of their sticky, stuffy, soiled underwear, but Mark’s hand is snug in Donghyuck’s locks and they don’t really want to move, so they stay in bed with tangled legs, talking in hushed whispers.

“I’d want you to meet my friends, Hyuck,” Mark suddenly says, and Donghyuck cranes his neck to press his lips against Mark’s sharp jaw before offering an acknowledging hum. “Because I love them, and I love you. I want the people I love to know each other.” Mark;s smile is sheepish as he reasons, and he peers down to meet the younger’s fond gaze.

“Soon, okay? I promise,” Donghyuck replies as his eyes flutter close, and Mark is taken aback because the former usually gives an ambiguous “Maybe” or “I’ll think about it” as a response. The corners of his lips quirk up into a dizzy smile and he plants a kiss on the crown of the younger’s temple.

“Calm down Markles, I can _hear_ you smiling... Go to sleep,” Donghyuck whines when Mark lands his fiftieth smooch on his face. Mark laughs, nodding and he stretches across to flick the switch for the nightlight.

“Good night, Hyuck.”

Then it’s silence, and a single rhythm of breaths.

(Mark thinks it’s beautiful how even when asleep, his and Donghyuck’s breaths sync so well.)

—

The morning light streams in through the bedroom blinds, and Mark cracks a crusty eye open to peek at the space beside him.

Space. It’s empty, save for his arm stretched out over the other half of the bed. He raises the sheets to see that there’s no marks on his chest like he’d expected, but he’s equal parts surprised and not; Donghyuck knows he’d get in trouble if his mother were to catch sight of any marks on his skin, because Donghyuck’s sensible like that. Lifting the sheets further to see a dark spot on the front of his boxers, he heaves a sigh of something, probably relief; he knows last night happened, and Donghyuck probably left when Mark was asleep.

“Minhyung?” He hears his mother call, and he rapidly pulls the sheets back up to his chin, craning his neck to meet a warm smile. “I made pancakes for us before Sunday Church, come down and have them when you’re all ready alright?” Her voice is pleasant on the ears at... 9.47a.m., kindly supplied by his phone which he turns to check. He looks back at his mom and nods, grinning, but then she tilts her head slightly as she remains in her spot. “Also, you were sleeptalking a lot last night... Is school very tough?” 

Mark can see the crease between her brows all the way from his bed, so he shakes his head immediately. “Was on the phone with a friend, mom. Don’t worry, yeah? And I’m gonna get ready now,” he chirps, and this seems to appease her as she turns to go back down to the dining room. ‘What a close call’, he thinks. He looks over at the cold, empty half of the bed, before rolling out of bed and humming a jolly tune to himself as he starts his day.

(Sitting in service is always bearable, no matter how stiff his button up feels against his skin, because he knows that once he’s home he can take a nice afternoon nap with Donghyuck while his parents go to run their usual weekend errands.)

—

Loving Donghyuck, Mark thinks, feels like a dream. And the younger is indeed a dream, a lovely one at that, with warm hazel eyes, a gorgeous caramel tan, and naturally pouty tiers, but he's most dreamlike in the way he's so present in Mark's sleep, yet when daylight comes, there's no trace of him to be found.

But what can Mark do? He loves Donghyuck anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> i hope the ending is ~Ambiguous~ haha, it's my first time writing something like... This, so please be kind ;—; anywho, i hope you enjoyed reading! just some contextual notes:  
> *i have no idea how school grades/ages work out of my country, so just... play along. sorry ><  
> * mark is one year older, but he's in nomin's grade because he moved to korea from canada and had to drop a grade.  
> * everyone on the basketball team is either 99 or 98, except jisung who's 00 like nomin.  
> * the cute guy johnny is talking about is ten, hehe!  
> do leave a kudos or comment what you think, because i'd love it ~ and i'm on [twt](https://twitter.com/taeildal) if you wanna be friends or talk ab nct! (´･ᴗ･`)


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